ABSTRACT
The incidence o f cardiovascular disorders o f premenopausal women is significantly lower than that o f men o f a s imilar age. Af ter the menopause, however, the incidence o f cardiovascular diseases becomes comparable i n bo th genders. H o r m o n e replace ment therapy decreases the ischemic cardiac event leading to the suggestion that
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estrogen plays an essential role in preventing the development o f coronary athero sclerosis and ischemic heart disease i n postmenopausal women (Grodste in et al, 1997). Estrogen has been shown to have a number o f beneficial effects o n the cardio vascular system. Ora l l y administered estrogen raises the level o f H D L cholesterol and lowers that o f total cholesterol, L D L cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) in serum (Walsh et al, 1991). Other mechanisms under ly ing the beneficial effect o f estrogen include protect ion o f L D L f rom oxida t ion , potent iat ion o f fibrinolysis, and improvement in endothelium-dependent vasodi lator function (Gisc la rd et al, 1988; Sack et al, 1994; K o h et al, 1997).
